Acoustic Emission during Press-Brake Bending of SS 304L Sheets and its Correlation with Residual Stress Distribution after Bending

Press-brake bending is one of the important sheet metal forming processes widely used to fabricate different angles and channels in automotive applications. Plastic deformation of material during bending generates elastic stress waves known as acoustic emission (AE), enabling online monitoring of the bending process. The analysis of these stress waves helps in process characterization and aids in the identification of defects. The non-homogeneous plastic deformation that occurs during bending leads to the development of residual stress (RS) in the bend regions after forming. The locked-in residual stresses that remain after bending are measured using the x-ray diffraction method. The present study aims to use the AE technique for online bend monitoring of austenitic stainless steel (SS) of type 304L and correlate the AE parameters acquired during bending with the final locked-in RS present in the bend regions. Toward this, SS 304L sheets were bent to various bend angles, viz. 45°, 60°, 90°, 108°, 120°, and 135°, along the rolling direction and perpendicular to the rolling direction. Among the many AE parameters derived from the analysis of AE signals, it is shown that normalized cumulative counts and energy increase with bend angle. The increase in AE is well correlated with the RS that develops due to plastic deformation. The observed correlations between AE parameters acquired during bending and RS measured after bending are discussed.